Find a contractor Buyer's guide Partner with us
MCAA Logo
Log in Sign up Join Hi, there Account
2026 Midyear Registration is OPEN
Find a contractor Buyer's guide Partner
Log in Sign up Join Account

St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church

Words: Tim MichaelThe St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church is new American Gothic Style church in the prairie landscape on the edge of the bustling college town of Stillwater, Okla. The architect for the church Franck & Lohsen Architects, designed color palate of the exterior brick veneer and precast limestone consistent with indigenous stone of the region that has a range of brown and red. A custom blend of five different brick colors is used for the exterior veneer.

The manufactured precast limestone was specified in the project for large size spires, detailed arches, window ornamentation, bandings, cornices, wall coping, architectural trim, etc. to achieve the desired end user experience and aesthetic appeal.

The church is crowned with a pair of towers and spires with the cross on the tallest spire reaching the height of 157’, making it visible for several miles.

The designers had developed detailed large size profiles with precise, intricate design details to give the building a level of ornamentation appropriate for an American Gothic church. The AAS team worked closely with the architect and contractor for the project early in the design phase to review CAD drawings and confirm design feasibility."

St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church
St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church
The AAS team recommended combining three different stone materials for the precast limestone:
  1. Wet-pour architectural precast concrete for large size pieces
  2. Dry vibrant-tamp cast stone for majority of the detail pieces that could be molded on both sides for seamless integration with the exterior veneer
  3. Architectural GFRC (Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete) for the cornices, coping at higher elevation
AAS developed color samples for all three product materials to precisely match texture and finish. With fully automated, computerized batch plants, the structural and aesthetic properties of the stone products were consistently maintained for all phases of the building.

The AAS team developed custom molds using CNC technology. The stone cladding ornamentation with large stone pieces and intricate design details required extensive detailed mold work throughout the project. The large spires for the church weighed over 7,000 pounds.

St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church
St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church
The process to design and fabricate each stone piece included pre-engineered anchorage conditions to achieve the minimal design aesthetic of monolithic stone. Customer got detailed drawings to understand installation details for the stone pieces.

The manufacturing schedule for different phases of the project was lined up to synchronize with the construction milestones. The installation team got settings plan with detailed numbering system to identify specific placement location of every single stone piece delivered by AAS. Customer was able to track each stone piece individually using the RFID based tagging system of AAS.

The manufactured stone cladding highlights the exterior design of the church. The Advanced Architectural Stone (AAS) panels cost-effectively emulated the look and finish of the natural limestone.
 0
Australian Bricks vs American Bricks: What 24 Hours of Travel Teaches You About the Trade
June 2026

Bricklaying might not change simply because you cross a state line. It does change when you travel 24 hours to the other side of the world and lay bricks under lights, cameras, and a stopwatch. The fundamentals of the trade are universal. Brick, mortar,

Technical Talks
Read More
2026 Masonry Foundation Grants Now Open
June 2026

The Masonry Foundation is dedicated to advancing the masonry industry and is accepting grant applications for 2026. Proposals should have national reach and aim to generate substantial progress within the masonry industry. To explore examples of past gra

Justin Stengel
Industry News
Read More
The “Small Job” Safety Trap: Why Safety Sometimes Fades When the Spotlight Disappears
June 2026

Before I was fortunate enough to lead Malta Dynamics, I spent a couple of years as a traveling salesman for the company. My territory covered the entire country (and some beyond), and in a typical year, I visited more than 100 jobsites across nearly every

Greg Brown
Safety Library
Read More
Supporting Mental Health in the Workplace
June 2026

As a business owner and leader, taking the mental health of your employees seriously and understanding how it can impact their work is essential. In fact, one in five adults experiences a mental health condition annually. Addressing mental health is more

Patrick Cunningham
MAP Partner
Read More